LYLE COOPER LEAVES THE FACELESS

Revealed via Facebook yesterday, it appears that drummer Lyle Cooper of The Faceless is no longer a part of the band.

Cooper had been with the Californian tech-death group since 2007, and was the longest-serving member of the group bar founder and lead guitarist Michael Keene, and had provided some stability in a position that had a number of stand-ins previously.

Summarised, the statement said that the reasons for his departure amount to differing “interests, goals and musical approach”, which is fair enough. Having been with the band for five years, these things can happen.

Managerial issues also seem to have played a part, but these things are common and unavoidable, so there’s not much to say about that.

The split seems amicable enough, with Cooper wishing the band every success and being confident they will quickly find a replacement – which they will need to (fill-in or otherwise) in order to make their upcoming UK tour with The Safety Fire. One assume they might already, as this begins this coming Wednesday in Bristol at The Fleece.

Lyle stated that his work with other projects will continue, including grindcore band Absvrdist and death metal duo Abhorrent - both of which can be sampled below – so fans should keep their eyes on those.